An Infinite and Evolving Theory

Many perceive sex and gender to be the same concept or at least related to each other, but this is not the case. If they do perceive it as different concepts, it is usually understood simply as biological sex. For many people gender is part of daily routine and questioning it is absurd (Lorber). In virtually all societies gender is defined by characteristics associated with one’s sex. 2 This definition stems from the social construction of gender, meaning that gender is not based solely on physiological qualities. As a social construct, gender is not internalized gender roles, but instead how people are categorized and respond to changing norms in society (Deutsch). Gender is constantly evolving by changing norms as a result of “human interaction, out of social life, and is the texture and order of that social life ” (Lorber). According to the categories and norms in societies, some traits are only associated with women and others only associated with men. This idea does not hold factual evidence given that many men and women display both feminine and masculine characteristics. Another question to ponder is why certain traits are only considered to be either masculine or feminine. To make sense of these arbitrary assignments, it is necessary to understand that gender is simply a social construct and not derived from attribute